As you breathe,
Imagine you are reaching in.
This is a gesture of internal kindness,
Scanning our body for any areas of bracing,
The jaw,
The shoulders,
The solar plexus,
Just below the ribs.
With every exhale,
Whisper the intention to soften,
Acknowledging the pain,
The sorrow,
And meeting it with a steady breathing presence,
And agreeing that we come here to find peace and calm within ourselves,
That we come here to find our inner sanctum,
And so visualizing a space deep within our chest,
A place of innate wisdom and unshakable calm,
Even when the world outside feels chaotic,
This home base continues to exist.
In this space,
Courage doesn't mean the absence of fear,
It means the presence of love in the face of fear.
I invite you to place the palm of a hand over the center of your chest,
Your heart center,
A really soothing gesture.
Feel the warmth radiating from the center.
It is a quiet,
Glowing light that says,
I am here.
I hear you.
I see you.
Spend a few minutes resting in this inner silence,
Just breathing in and breathing out.
If your mind wanders,
Gently guide it back to the warmth of your chest,
The palm slightly pressured on your chest.
Reach in,
Hold your own hand,
And breathe.
Be here now.
Feel the warmth.
I'm going to read a beautiful poem by Jane Pucci.
I close my eyes and sigh,
And here I am,
Lying in the hammock in my heart,
Moving gently with the soft air of my breath.
When I fall from my head past my words,
I'm caught lovingly by the hammock of my heart,
And rocked to its rhythmic beat.
It is my peace,
My rest,
My quiet,
Cradled in the hammock of my heart.
It is constant.
It is safe to be held in the hammock of my heart.
No place to go.
Nothing to do.
Nobody to please.
It is my altar,
My blessing,
My balm,
Here in the hammock of my heart.
Just reaching in and being held in the hammock of my heart.
